Virat Kohli: “To be a world-class side, you have to be 100 percent”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

India captain Virat Kohli received the coveted International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Championship mace on Saturday for the second year in a row.

India retained their spot at the summit of the Test rankings even though they were beaten 2-1 by South Africa in their most recent Test assignment.

Despite the cut-off date for the ICC rankings being in April, since India cannot be surpassed on the Test team standings, they were handed the mace and will be given a million dollars in prize money.

Kohli admitted that while it felt good to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash by winning the third and final Test in Johannesburg, his side can go from operating at 80 percent to 100 percent if they triumph in their Test series in England and Australia later this year.

“I’d say we are still 80 percent,” Kohli was quoted as saying by NDTV. “When we are able to achieve what we want to in the two tours, we’ll be more content. But our 80 percent is also exciting. To be a world-class side, you have to be 100 percent.”